In March, Too Faced Cosmetics launched its Ribbon Wrapped Mascara campaign, which was completed — from conception to launch — in just three weeks. That was thanks agentic and generative artificial intelligence (AI), revealed Raheel Khan, SVP of foresight and growth intelligence at Estée Lauder Companies, on a panel this month.

He shared that the company used an AI agent to search and compile consumer insights around tubing mascara, create a campaign concept and script using Too Faced’s brand tone and voice and generate accompanying images. 

“Really, this is about, from a metric standpoint, an increase in speed, better quality, as well as potentially reducing waste of cost,” he explained. 

This is just one example of how AI has become an integral part of Estée Lauder’s creative and analytical operations. And it’s been a long time coming: Since Khan joined the company nearly a decade ago, overseeing its innovation strategy, he quickly detected an opportunity to integrate AI into its analytical insights (long before AI became a buzzword in seemingly every industry). 

Years of research and investment later, the company is reaping the benefits from its early bet on the technology. AI has made it easier to generate campaigns, back new products, analyze consumer behavior and create marketing content. It touches on nearly every aspect of the company’s strategic framework, per Khan. But just to be clear, “We don’t have an AI strategy,” Khan said. “We have a company strategy, and the role of AI is to enable that.”

The company’s strategy, known as “Beauty Reimagined,” is broken down into five key areas: Expanding consumer-preferred channels, delivering on-trend innovation, boosting consumer investments, driving sustainable growth and simplifying how employees work. While AI has a hand in all five areas, its most significant impact is on the latter: workforce simplicity.

“AI is really enhancing creativity,” Khan explained. “At the end of the day, we want our amazing creative people to do things that are of their hearts and their minds. And no creative person wants to go look for data and do things that are essentially difficult.”

He insisted that AI does not replace jobs, but assists them. (The only jobs he sees being replaced are people well-versed in AI ousting workers who don’t use the technology.) “The job of AI is to bring knowledge to [workers] so they can use it and focus their creativity to where it matters,” he argued. Khan also emphasized that AI is making employees more productive. This quarter, the company tracked a 15% worker productivity increase, Khan said. 

“If we’re just going to focus on the technology, it’s actually not the answer,” he told the crowd. “It’s about upskilling people and it’s about processes as well.”

Of course, AI’s role in the workforce deserves a more nuanced conversation beyond what metrics executives (selectively) share. Though Estée Lauder has the data to prove accelerated employee output, that’s not to say AI leads to a better workplace, nor does it quell fears of future job displacement. Is it not reasonable to assume that the more corporate executives speak of AI’s cost-cutting capabilities and automated training, the more it will inevitably lead to job loss?

It’s worth noting that, on May 1, ELC announced plans to cut between 5,800 and 7,000 jobs worldwide as part of a restructuring plan. One of the goals of these layoffs, as outlined in the company’s Q2 earnings report for 2025, is “simplification and acceleration of processes,” which has a distinct ring of corporate jargon for “computers can do this faster.”

Think of how generative AI is fully producing marketing campaigns — scripts, images and all. It begs the question, where does that leave the workers who formerly oversaw these responsibilities as AI capabilities inevitably become smarter and more complex? Khan argued that these employees will still be necessary, as a human touch is still needed when it comes to editing and building atop the base AI provides. 

“The danger of generative AI is that it will make every answer look extremely good,” he said. “You have to be able to know by reading a concept, ‘Oh, this actually sucks,’ even though it sounds great. I think that it’s super important to apply AI in a way based on what the strengths of the company are. AI can bring you creativity, magic or math, but […] it’s the people who are going to be the differentiators for long-term competitive advantage.”

But for now, beauty employers are excited about AI’s evolving relationship with people — a connection more brands may rely on as the lines between media and commerce blur. “In our industry […] consumers are moving very, very, very quickly because there is invention and innovation in how they learn and engage with commerce and media,” Khan said.

Do you have an emerging brand you want to share with Fashionista readers? Jumpstart your business with our affordable digital offerings.

#Creative #Beauty #Employees #Era